A Buch In the Hand is Worth More In a Bush

I have taken some liberty with an oft-used phrase about birds in hands and bushes. If it caught your eye, then it did its job!

We know that our last name is pronounced and spelled different ways. We know that the patriarch Andreas spelled it “Hagenbuch” and with German language pronunciation he would have pronounced it “Hah – gen – book” with the “book” syllable rhyming with “kook.” Over the years, the spelling and pronunciation of our name evolved mainly because of convenience. Our relatives threw up their hands and told those who could not spell or pronounce German, “Whatever!” Such is the case with Jacob Hagenbush who was born as Jacob Hagenbuch in Northampton County, Pennsylvania on November 23, 1821 and died in Marshall County, Indiana on February 11, 1872.

Jacob was mentioned in an article written by Andrew on February 1, 2022; and coincidentally just last week Andrew’s article on children and fire mentioned this family again. Jacob’s ancestry is: Andreas (b. 1715) > Henry I (b. 1737) > Henry II (b. 1786) > Jacob (b. 1821). He married Sarah Dieter (b. 1820) and according to the 1850 census, they had four children at that time: John, Sybilla, Zachariah, and Israel. At that time, they were living in Medina County, Ohio, and Jacob was recorded as a construction worker. The census lists his last name as both “Hagenbaugh” and “Hagenbush.”

By 1860, three more children were born to Jacob and Sarah, who were now living in Summit County, Ohio: Amelia, William, and Jacob. The census taker listed their last name as “Hackbush.” Finally, in 1870 the family was living in Marshall County, Indiana. Jacob was noted as a farmer and his last name was recorded as “Hagenbush.” Jacob died on February 11, 1872. He is buried at Stringer Cemetery, Marshall County, Indiana. No listing for his wife Sarah’s burial spot has been found.

Jacob Hagenbush and his family on the 1860 census for Summit County, Ohio

Jacob and Sarah (Dieter) Hagenbushs’ lives may not have been so notable. They were one of those hundreds of Hagenbuchs who worked at different jobs, moved to various areas of the United States, and raised families. But, Jacob is one of the few early Hagenbuchs who kept a name change and passed it on to his descendants.

With seven children born to Jacob and Sarah, one would believe there should be some evidence of interesting stories.  Well, not many stories have come out, but a few! Their oldest child, John (b. 1845, d. 1908), was born in Pennsylvania. Civil War records list John as serving in Company K, 151st Indiana Volunteers. This regiment was formed in March of 1865 and mustered out in September of 1865. It was mostly on garrison duty in Nashville, Tennessee.

John (b. 1845) married Louisa Kepler and they had two sons: Henry “Harry” (b. 1866) and Jesse (b. 1876). Curiously, research lists that John and Louisa were married in 1873, which does not correlate with Henry’s birth date of 1866. Was Henry born out of wedlock and Jacob as the father raised him? Or is Henry’s birth date reported wrong? At this time, there is no way of knowing as no record for Henry can be found other than his age of 14 in the 1880 census. Jesse (b. 1876) was married twice. First to Harriet Brown in 1899 and then again in 1912 to Lucy Howell. He spent most of his career as a farmer and sometimes a “plasterer.” He lived for awhile in West Virginia. John and Louisa (Kepler) Hagenbush are buried in Glendale Cemetery, Akron, Ohio.

Jacob and Sarah (Dieter) Hagenbush’s eldest daughter, Sybilla, was born in 1846 and died in 1925. She married Jacob Cook in 1864 and had four children: Henry (b. 1866), Lettie May (b. 1875), Sarah (b. 1878), and Jacob (b. 1880). The 1870 census lists Jacob Cook as a farmer. He and Sybilla were living in Marshall County, Indiana not far from Sybilla’s parents. Jacob and Sybilla (Hagenbuch) Cook are buried at Riverview Cemetery, South Bend, IN.

The next child born to Jacob and Sarah was Zachariah Hagenbush. He lived from 1847 to 1901 and was never married. In the 1900 U.S. Census, Zachariah was recorded as living in a boarding house and working as a farm laborer in Marshall, Indiana. He is buried in Stringer Cemetery with his parents.

Gravestone of Israel Hagenbush, Maple Grove Cemetery, Marshall County, Indiana. Credit: Findagrave.com/Kim White

The fourth child in this family is Israel Hagenbush (b. 1848, d. 1924). Like his older brother John, Israel also served in the 151st Indiana Volunteer Infantry as part of the Union Army. The two brothers would have traveled to Indianapolis where they joined up in March of 1865 and were both mustered out in September of that year. They would have been together in Nashville during those months.

Israel was married four times and had five children—all to his first wife.  He was first married in 1865 to Susanna Freese and their children are: Elizabeth “Lizzie” Ella (b. 1867, d. 1928), Howard Henry (b. 1872, d. 1908), Sarah Alice (b. 1872 d. 1925), William J. (b. 1874, d. 1909), and Ida May (b. 1879, d. 1966). It was William J. Hagenbush’s son William B. (b. 1912) who was mentioned in last week’s article as having died from burns. William J. married Iva Bryan in 1898 and they had seven children, one son being Ivo Israel Hagenbush, (b. 1903, d. 1973). Ivo and his wife Mabel Kindig had six Hagenbush children.

Gravestone of William J. Hagenbush, son of Israel and Susannah (Freese) Hagenbush.

Little is known about Lizzie Hagenbush other than her birthdate, that she married George Chapin, that she had two daughters, and in 1910 she lived in Marion, Indiana. Ella Chapin (Lizzie’s middle name) is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Plymouth, Indiana although husband George is not listed as buried with her in Oak Hill.

Howard Henry (sometimes listed as “Henry Howard”, sometimes as “Henry”, and sometimes as “Howard”) married Gertrude Clark in 1895. They had two daughters. Helen was born in 1897 and married Julius Henry, who was a public school teacher. The other daughter was born in 1898 and died several days after being born. Sadly, mother Gertrude (Clark) Hagenbush died a few days before that. The lengthy 1908 obituary for Howard Henry states that mother and baby were laid side by side in Winamac Cemetery, Pulaski County, Indiana. Of course, Howard is buried there, too. In 1900, Howard and three-year-old daughter Helen were living in Monroe, Indiana with his deceased wife’s mother. Howard was a stone and brick mason. He died tragically when he fell down the stairs at home.

The Hagenbush sisters: Lizzie, Sarah, and Ida (their exact order is not certain), c. 1890s. This photo caused much discussion between Andrew and Mark. Is it a wedding photo? If not, than what was the occasion? Black vs. white dresses? Which sister is which? It’s a very unique photo.

Sarah Alice Hagenbush married John Wiley in 1887. In 1910 they were living in Centre, St. Joseph County, Indiana with four of their five children. John was a mechanic in a sewing machine factory. Sarah died in 1925, and according to her death certificate is buried in Argos, Indiana.

Israel and Susanna (Freese) Hagenbush’s daughter, Ida May, married Daniel Baer in 1895 and they had five children. Three of those children all had families. Their lines, along with William J.’s descendants, brings the family of Israel Hagenbush into the 21st century. Fortunately, some good photos of Ida May exist. She and husband Daniel are buried in Falls Cemetery, Wabash, Indiana.

After Susanna died in 1882, Israel married Margaret Pickerl in 1887. Margaret died in 1906, and that same year Israel married Susan Rhodes who died in 1911. Finally in 1917 he married Harriet Hobbs. Israel’s first three wives are buried at different cemeteries than him; and he is buried with fourth wife Harriet in Maple Grove Cemetery, Marshall County, Indiana.

Israel is the most interesting character in this family. He was married four times, and he served as the town marshal of Argos, Indiana for many years. Argos is located about 30 miles south of South Bend. We know from a news clipping that Israel won the election as marshal in 1891 running on the Prohibition ticket. In 1892, he purchased a general mercantile store from a Mr. Gibson. A small notice in the Argos newspaper from 1894 mentions that folks should take a look at the huge head of cabbage in Israel’s store!

Advertisement for Israel Hagenbuch’s grocery store. Found in The Argos Reflector, May 5, 1892

Jacob and Sarah’s youngest daughter, Amelia, was born in Ohio on September 13, 1851. She married James Bachman, and they had four children: Calvin, Sarah, Ellen, and Meta. Meta never married and stayed at home taking care of her parents. Amelia died in 1902. She and husband James Bachman are buried at Stringer Cemetery.

William Z. Hagenbush was born in 1856. For a short time in 1873 he held a post office job in Alpha, OH. The 1880 census lists him as a laborer. In 1881 William married Tabitha Siddall and at the writing of this article nothing more can be found about him.

Jacob and Sarah (Dieter) Hagenbush’s youngest child was Jacob, who was born in 1858. Jacob was a stonemason and in 1880, he was living at home with his mother, his two brothers William and Zachariah, and his wife Augusta. His father Jacob (b. 1821) had passed away in 1872. Jacob married Augusta Anderson in 1880, the same year the census was taken. Augusta was born in Sweden and the marriage between her and Jacob did not last long. Since no other information can be found out about Jacob (b. 1858), it is assumed he died sometime before 1886 because in that year Augusta was remarried to James Boyer.

Andrew and I both agreed that this family needed to be written about, as they have been neglected from our broader Hagenbuch history. Of course, little was known of their place on our family tree until Andrew received a letter from Walt Hagenbuch in January of 2022. Walt had information passed on from his great grandfather, Henry Hagenbuch III (b. 1833), who was a brother to Jacob Hagenbush (b. 1821). When writing an article such as this one which is mainly the names, dates, and places it gives me the impetus to add the info to Beechroots. Just as important as writing about Jacob Hagenbush’s family in an article, listing all the info in Beechroots preserves the basics of a family’s genealogy.

What has been written in this article is the tip of the iceberg. Further research on Jacob and Sarah (Dieter) Hagenbush’s great grandchildren and their children adds many more people to this Hagenbush clan—all descended, like the rest of us, from the patriarch Andreas (b. 1715). To put it into another perspective, my father Homer Sechler Hagenbuch (b. 1916, d. 2012) is a 5th cousin to the aforementioned Ivo Israel Hagenbush (b. 1903. d. 1973). This makes me a 6th cousin to Ivo’s sons: Robert, Ivo Jr., Wilbert, Charles, and Donald.

Charles Richard “Red” Hagenbush (b. 1932, d. 2016), 6th cousin to Mark O. Hagenbuch. Red was a carpenter and lived in Argos, Indiana.

How ever our name is spelled or pronounced, we are all Hagenbuchs and DNA related. We trace back to strong-willed immigrants who assimilated into the colonial American scene. Our people branched out from Berks County, PA to make their mark in other Pennsylvania counties and, in the case of the Hagenbush family, to the states of Ohio and Indiana. For “Buch” and “Bush”, it’s all worth it!